Golf game



Sept; 15, 1931. E. H. CLEAR I 1,823,487

GOLF GAME Filed Oct. 9, 1930 scribed.

Patented Sept; 15, 1 93 1 nniuunnn. CLEAR}, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

Ml GOLF GAME" 3 Application filedjOcto ber 9, 1930. Serial 1%. 487,422.

flhe invention relates tofa' novel and useful'device forsimulating a golf hole or cup, to be used in practicing putting or in connection with indooror miniature golf game...

Objects and advantages of the invention will beset forth in part hereinafterand jin part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same beingrealized and attained by means of the instrumentalitiesand combinations pointed out in the appended claims. i

The inventionconsists in the novel parts,

"constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and cle- "Ehe accompanying drawings, referred to herein and const tuting "a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention; and

- contact area.

-The invention is: directed to providing a novel and: useful putting cup or hole to be usedin nracticing putting. or in connection :with'indoor or miniature golf rames." The putting cup of invinvention isdesi gned to i provide substantially-the same effect as that of a ball cup on a regulation outdoor golf gtreen; With thisjend in view, the shape, size and construction of the cup are such that 1 balls travellinsr'withtoo great force willp'ass a hall which is properly stroked with. a remilation putt-inn" iron orputter will roll into and beretained by thecun. while improperly directed balls w llbe deflected thereby. and

throuc'hthe cu and escape. v

' One ohiectof the in entionis to provide a miftint. cu f desio'ned togive the closest approachjto the'natura'l operation of a hole or 1 cunon anuttinggreen .of a regulationgolf jcourse The cup, is 3 furthermore uniouely adapted for indoor play, in that itis deslgned to resist displacement due to impact from balls, while" being as light in Weight as possible. Furthermore," said putting cup I is de signedto be attractive in appearance, simple in design; and easy and inexpensive to manufacture. Moreover the putting cup provided by my invention can be used indoors Without marring furniture or floor surfaces and can be moved aboutand carried from place to}- place without harm orinconvenience.

As emhodied, the putting cup is preferably composed of rubber or some other similar plastic composition which combines the features ofyielding and resiliency. The cup comprises a'preferably circular disc constituting the bottom or basethereof, said disc being relatively thick at the center and tapering gradually outwardly to a relatively very thin edge 61 at its periphery. This'tapered structure of the base is designed to lend sufficient weight to the cup to prevent displacement thereof, while presenting the slighest possible resistance to the oncoming ball at its periphery.

' It will be further noted that the bottom or lower surface of the base 60 is slightly concave upwardly, whereby a slight suction action is created and maintained between the base of the cup and the surface upon which 0 it rests. 4 This suction action is important in tending to enhance the displacement-resisting action ofthe cup. Furthermore, when the cuo'is resting upon a flat surface, the

arched base tends to sink to uniform contact with the surface, thereby substantially flattening out the bottom of the cup and giving-ya practically level surface therewithin over which the base may roll (Fig. 2).

An upstanding lip or guard 62 is provided around the base 60. comprising a upwardly and inwardly inclined. flange'in the form of truncated cone. Said lip is formed of rela tively thin flexible rubber. molded as an in tegral niece'with the base 60 and merging exteriorly with the surface thereof so as to taner to the relatively thin edge 61 at the periphery of the comhinedlip and base. It

will be noted that the portion ofthe lip memher which merges with the base forms, at the junction, a smooth continuous curved surlot V face. vThe vertical distance from the inner x and upper rim of the lip to the surface of base 60 is'preferably greaterthanthe radius of a standardgolf ball. As shown in Fig. 2,' said distance is about one and inches, al-

though the invention is not restricted to this or anyother specific dimension.

As shown infFig. 2 the lip 62 is adapted to be depressedby a golfballrolling toward V the center of the cuprwhereby the liplies flat 7 against, the top of the base-'60 'aridthen rolls into the interior of the cup and is retained therein by the oppositely disposed portion of the'lip 62. j By the passageof a, golf ball over i portion ofthe lip member, thejadjacent edge portion of thebase is-tilted or raised slightly-so that theresistance ofthe passage ofthe ball into theinterior-of thecup or hole v is minimized; It; wi'llbe understood that the relative. strength-and resiliency ofthe lip 62 l is designed so that it willofl'er substantially i thesameresistance toa putted ball as that of r aregulargolf greenjcupl. Consequently; if- 5 the ball is travelling too slowly it will not beable to depress the lip 62 suiiiciently to enter the-cup,-. while if the ball be struck with excessive force, it will travel into the cup and out again bydepressing the lip on the oppositeside. i- V v Indesigningtheoup to simulate the action of thetrue-golf cup asclosely as possiblegone structural feature-of nay-invention is ofparticular importance. As embodied; the lip 62-andbase-60 are specially designed at'the junction of theirpinterior surfaces so-that an 7 r-undueafresistance: willnotbe encountered by the 'ball as it rolls against the bottomof the lipl For this purpose; the; lower portion of the lip 62 is gradually reduced inthickness fronii-about the point-63 to the junctionthereofv with the inner surface of the: disc 60 Similarly the thickness ofthedisc- 60 is'reduced radially outwardly from a-point such as Gt'a-t a'rateconsiderably greater than the natural taper-of the-disc. c Thus from the points- 63- and 6-45 outwardlythere'is a'zone of'relatively thin in'ate-rial'both in the lip and in the base; so :that when the lipis depressed by the oncoming balh the thin ned'portions 63 and 64come together-and present in the aggregate a' total thickness substantially muclrless than the combined average thickuesses of' 'the lip and baseelsewherei, Thus theballrolling over the lower-portion ofthe lip encounters only gradually the cumulative resistanceofthe superposed lip andbase, whereas if the described thinning'of these elements Wasnot present, theball wouldsuddenly' encounter a'seve-re bathing-action due '1 to the double thicknesses of the overlying'lip and base.

7 To further enhance theease' withwhich the ball. eneoun-tersthe-bottom of the lip I pro V1Cl6 'anga'dditionally hollowed-out groove or beadingfifi at the junctioniline of the inner 1 the-action of the cup. Said groove operates not only to additionally thin' out the rubber thickness'at the depressed contact point of theoncoming balhbut also serves as a hinge 'atthecontact p'oint'so that depression of the lip by the ball is relatively thick and. easy.

Furthermore by virtue of the construction described,- the: lip has a relatively quick m tion or, recovery to its normalupstanding positionafterthe ball haspassed thereover, 1

thereby tending to retain the ball in the cup.

, The invention inits broader aspectscis not limitedto the specific devices and instrumentalities shown and. described but departures may be made therefromwithin the scope of v V the accompanyingclaims without departing fromf-the principles. ofthe invention and:

without sacrificing its chief advantages. What I claim is:

' 1. A. golf-holesimulating deviceincluding combination a base portion of disk form, a. relatively thin flexible lip mem-ber offconoidaluform extending upwardy and in wardly in a curve froin'th'e surface of the base and from a junction therewith afsubr stantial distance inward from the periphery thereof, said. base portion decreasing-fin thickness from the junction of the lip member therewith to its periphery to'providea relatively thinedge, said base also tapering in thickness from an interior point outwardly tosaidjunctiomthe said lip memberlmergingc with said base atsaid junction so as to form a smooth continuous curved surface.

, 2. A; golf-hole simulating device including in combination. a base having a relatively thin peripheral edge portion and aninner portion lncreasing 1n th ckness centrally,

the-upper surface of said edge portion merging ntoa thin 'flexiblesubstantially frustroconicallip projecting upwardly and-. inward lfz from the base in a-gradual curve from an annular junction line a substantial distance 7' from the-peripherv ofthe base. 7 I v V 3'. A golf-hole simulating device including incombination a basehav-ing a relatively thin peripheral edge'portion and an-iinner portion increasing in thickness centrally, and

a thin flexible frustro-conoidal lip member nrmecting upwardly and inwardly from the 1,

base from an annular junction line a substantial'distance from the peripheryof the base,

the combined thicknessof thelip member and base portion immediately. inside said junction line being substantially equal to the thioknessof the base alone immediately exterior to said junction line, and. the upper "surface of said edge portion being merged with the surface of said lip'member so as to of said base portion with said lip member forming-a thin outwardly tapering edge offering substantially no resistance to a ball passing thereover, said lip member being so merged with said'peripheral edge as to form a continuous surface having gradually ins creasing upward slope from the periphery of the base, said lip member and edge portion being sufficiently flexible to permit tilting of the adjacent peripheral edge portion in the passage of a ball over the said lip member,

' whereby the resistance to the passage of the ball into the interior of said device is minimixed.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

EDMUND I-I. CLEAR. 

